Spiced Pear Baked Oatmeal

By Kiersten | Last Updated: September 13, 2015

I was never much of a breakfast eater as a kid until the glory days of oatmeal in the late 80s and early 90s. And by glory days of oatmeal, obviously I am referring to two things: Undercover Bears and Oatmeal Swirlers. I used to add only the bare minimum amount of water needed to make the oatmeal edible, so those oats were basically there just to deliver massive, concentrated amounts of sugar and gummy bears. The 80s and 90s were a magical time when the bar was set super low when it came to healthy eating. Choosing Oatmeal Swirlers over Ice Cream Cones Cereal? Healthy choices! Orange Drink instead of Coke with your Happy Meal? Way to go, kid!

But now I’m an adult and I know that little oatmeal packets full of sugar and candy aren’t really the best way to start the day. I still love oatmeal though. The only thing I love more than oatmeal is convenient oatmeal. I have a lot of overnight oats and breakfast shakes during the summer, but now that fall is here, I’m in the mood for warm oatmeal again. Enter: Spiced Pear Baked Oatmeal.

Baked oatmeal is what would happen if you crossed a cake with oatmeal. It’s oatmeal in cake form! I know what you’re thinking though. “No way am I getting up early to make this for breakfast.” Well, that’s alright, because you don’t have to! You can make it in advance, cut it into squares, and freeze it. In the morning, you just pop that square of oatmeal in the oven or microwave and boom, breakfast is ready in minutes. (Have you noticed a theme in my breakfast posts? I am hungry and lazy in the morning. If it takes more effort than peeling a banana, then I’ll just starve, thankyouverymuch.)

Instead of gummy bears, this oatmeal is full of diced pears. Apples, raisins, or other fruit both dried and fresh, will work too. Nuts and seeds are also a great addition. You could even top each piece with a swirl of jam if you really wanted to. Options! You have them!

Beat the egg in a second bowl. Stir in the milk, vanilla, and syrup, then pour the wet mixture into the oat mixture. Fold in the pears.

Spray a square baking dish with oil or cooking spray. Pour oatmeal into the baking dish and bake for 25-35 minutes, or until set and beginning to brown. Serve immediately or, if freezing, allow the oatmeal to cool, then cut it into 6 to 8 pieces (the pieces hold together better after cooling!).

notes:

To reheat from frozen, heat the oatmeal in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time until heated through or bake in the oven at 350ºF for about 15 minutes.

That’s so smart to cut it into squares and freeze it! I’ve been wanting to have baked oatmeal in the morning for a while now but it seems like it just takes way too much time. I’m going to have try it now 🙂

Hi Kiersten,
I really really lover your site and have already cooked a lot of your delicious meals, but I was wondering if it would be possible for you to also mention the quantities in ‘European’ measurements like grams, liters and degrees Celcius…? I don’t want to be the sorehead around here, and most of the time I just guess and try a little and it works out fine, but with recipes like these, I’m afraid it could all go wrong if I would rely on these contradictory convertion tools the Internet offers. Besides, you’re the expert around here, so I would blindly follow your advice 🙂 I hope it wouldn’t take too much of your time… Thanks in advance!

Well, if I converted the measurements and temperatures, I’d be using those same online conversion calculators! 🙂 I’m not a trained chef and I don’t have any special knowledge that would make my conversions more reliable, I’m afraid. I’m sorry!

Hey Flora – I’m from the UK, and I am now completely converted to using cup measures! You can buy cup measures from Tesco even. And you can also get teaspoon/tablespoon ones. So easy to cook this way! You can also get pyrex jugs with cup measures on, for liquid. I much prefer these sorts of measurements, much easier than g/oz etc.

Omg – you just reminded me of how my sister and I would pour those little cinnamon bun instant oatmeal packets over ice cream as an after-school treat – barf (but so good at the time)! This looks like the healthy grown-up version of that treat. I will totally make these this fall! 🙂

This morning was so gloomy looking that I was craving hot oatmeal for the first time this year! I think I’ve tried a baked version once and wasn’t sure about the texture – it has to be the right combination of crispy and soft inside without being mushy. I love the sounds of pears with spices and maple syrup in my breakfast though!

I’ve made this three times now. The first time was with a pear that wasn’t quite ripe enough but it was still good. The next time, I swapped the pear for an apple from a recent apple-picking adventure. Outstanding! Tonight, I made another batch with apple and swapped the vanilla extract for butterscotch flavoring. It really amps up the maple flavor. Next I’m going to try it with soaked and drained dried apricots. I do the same thing with apricots to bake scones and the consistency they have after baking is amazing. Also, the leftover soaking water has a strong enough apricot flavor to be enjoyed on its own.

Thanks for the recipe! I make this all the time and keep it in the freezer. So good and easy! I use all sorts of fruit, canned cherries are nice, apples work too. I like to top mine with light sour cream. Mmm.

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